...because home doesn't happen overnight.

With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, I’d like to share one of my favorite mom-related etsy shops this week. Mod momME is a shop that I have personally purchased from and love. The shop offers stylish handmade mom & baby accessories – everything from diaper bags to cosmetic bags – for those moms not wanting to sacrifice style for practicality. You can have both! Here are my favorite items.

mod momme

This is the exact changing pad I have in my diaper bag. I prefer to use a roomy, good-looking tote as a non-traditional diaper bag so it’s applicable long after my baby-rearing years. When the tote is fulfilling its diaper bag duties, I toss in this lightweight roll up changing pad for on-the-go diaper changes. The brightly colored pattern makes it easy to spot in the diaper bag amongst all the other baby paraphernalia.

mod momme2

If you prefer having your changing pad, wipes and dipes together, I like this all-in-1 diaper clutch. Great for quick trips {it can’t hold a bunch of diapers} and quick changes. Both the roll up changing pad and diaper clutch have a wipeable TPU changing surface. TPUĀ is non toxic, hypoallergenic, fungus resistant, PVC free, BPA free, lead free and phthalate free. Yesssssss.

mod momme3

I wish I had this wet bag. We use cloth diapers on Mabrey most of the time. I bought a different wet bag before she was born and after two washings a seam ripped and it started leaking. Um, yuck. The great thing about a wet bag is that it isn’t just for dirty cloth diapers. You can use it for wet swimsuits or stinky workout clothes after your baby is potty-trained. You know, that’s when you start wearing a swimsuit and working out again anyways, right? Ha! The inner layer of this wet bag is made of TPU like the changing surfaces above.

Kristin is the mastermind behind mod momME and I was amazed to learn about how her little etsy shop came to be. In her words…

When my youngest child was turning 1 I wanted to make her a dress for her party. I did not know how to sew nor did I own a sewing machine but I was not going to let that stop me. I was on a mission so I purchased a sewing machine, fabric and some patterns. Those purchases led me to etsy where I fell even more in love with handmade. It is also where I acquired my love of fabric.

Over the next few weeks I taught myself how to sew. I discovered 2 things: I was actually pretty good at sewing and I hated following sewing patterns. I became inspired by all the original designs from the artists on etsy and I decided that I was capable of creating my own designs.

I chose to create products for mom and baby. The products had to be innovative, practical and stylish. I prefer to steer clear of cheesy character prints and offer prints and designs geared more towards mom’s liking. As moms we often define ourselves by our children and we lose sight of who we are. I wanted my products to help moms ‘rediscover the ME in mommy!’

How awesome is it that Kristin didn’t let her shortcomings {not knowing how to sew & not owning a sewing machine} keep her from doing something she really wanted to do? Instead, she tried and learned something new and solved a problem in a creative way. I’m always inspired by moms who go after dreams – no matter how big or how small – with kids in tow. What great role models. For me and for their children.

Have you ever tried something new or something just for yourself with a family in the mix? Was it easier or more difficult than you thought it would be? How did you feel afterwards? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

images: mod momME

10 Comments

07.May.2013

That is so cool you cloth diaper! I am cloth diapering my next one (due next month!) and will definitely take a loot at this etsy shop :)

07.May.2013

When I was pregnant with my second, I could not find crib bedding that I liked, so I found an online tutorial, bought some fabric, borrowed a sewing machine and made it all myself. And it turned out awesome! I still say, “Hell, yeah, self, good job,” when I’m making up the crib.

07.May.2013

So I’ve been following your blog for awhile (it’s one of my top 3 that I check daily!) and it was so crazy to get on here during my lunch break to find a post about Kristin! I totally went to high school with her! Such a small world. And she totally rocks. Glad you love her stuff!

07.May.2013

You should check our joyababy.com
My sister, Joya has a great, eco-friendly diaper clutch that is super stylish!!!!:)
She is a local Cincy girl, too!

07.May.2013

A wet bag that doesn’t work, when you are dealing with a cloth diaper- no good. That one is super cute too!

07.May.2013

First, I love your blog, your style and “voice”. Thank you for being so real:) I love etsy and have developed quite a habit… It’s not a problem. When I realized my third child would be heading to school full time I knew I needed to find my next gig. I knew I didn’t want to go back to hospice social work or community mental health. I wanted something more creative that I could do around my kids’ busy schedules and be home if someone was home sick. So Im slowly building a business as a personal historian. Being a mom is about constantly reinventing yourself. It’s the fastest and steepest learning curve out there. The transition has been rough at times but my kids are excited about the books I make and the stories I share with them. I love having more on my schedule than endless laundry and the Groundhog Day dishwasher. It rewarding and creative and I don’t have to sacrifice my mom job. It’s not something I would have dreamed up before I had kids. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.

08.May.2013

What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing.

08.May.2013

Hey Dana, would you consider doing a post on your experience with cloth diapering?

08.May.2013

Way back we lived in a Chicago third floor walk up and did all our wash at the laundromat. When my oldest was born, we used diaper service. The service was reliable, baby was happy UNTIL the blizzard struck. The alleys and streets were so clogged that nothing moved except garage roofs collapsing under the weight of wet snow. Diaper service failed us. My husband filled a backpack with our wash and hiked to the laundromat. The diaper pail froze on the back porch. Thankfully, by the time baby number two arrived, we were in a ground floor apartment and had our own washer and dryer in the basement.

09.May.2013

i second Rachael’s comment! i’m expecting my first in the fall and am trying to decide the disposable vs cloth diaper thing! so much to decide right now.. ha!